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Added 9 October 2026

quarry

/ˈkwɒɹ.i/ noun

In Latin: lapicīdīnae Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about quarry at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence.
he fell prey to muggers
A surface excavation for extracting stone or slate.
a British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'
Animal hunted or caught for food.

verb

Extract (something such as stones) from or as if from a quarry.
quarry marble

Origin

From Middle English quarere, from Medieval Latin quarreria (1266), literally a “place where stones are squared”, from Old French quarrière (compare modern French carrière), from Vulgar Latin *quadraria, from Latin quadrō (“to square”), itself from quadra (“a square”), from quattuor (“four”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres (“four”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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